“It raises the possibility of preventing breast cancer with statins, which lower cholesterol, but as this is a primitive study, significant time and research is needed before this idea can be tested.”

The next stage is a clinical trial. Statins are already taken by millions to cut risks of heart disease and strokes.

Cardiologist Dr Potluri, of the University of Aston, discovered during his survey of more than 660,000 women that those with high cholesterol had a 1.64 times greater chance of developing breast cancer.

After the research was released, Dr Potluri added: “It raises the possibility of preventing breast cancer with statins. We are heading towards a clinical trial in 10 to 15 years to test their effect on breast cancer incidence.”

Cholesterol is produced in the liver and absorbed from foods such as red meat, high fat cheese, butter, and eggs. It can be reduced by a change in diet and increased exercise.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of Breast Cancer Campaign, said: “These are interesting results that report a link between increased fat in the blood and an increased risk of breast cancer.

“However, this is just the first step in understanding more about how cholesterol relates to the risk of breast cancer and more research is needed to determine whether statins could help.

“We do know being overweight, particularly after menopause, can increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer.

“So we would encourage women to maintain a healthy weight and discuss concerns, such as breast cancer risk, weight or cholesterol with their GP.”